Sunday, 18 September 2011 23:30
CANBERRA FC WIN GRAND FINAL IN THIRTEEN GOAL THRILLER Written by Russ Gibbs
Simply unbelievable. At the end of ninety pulsating minutes of football Canberra FC emerged as the2011 ROCK Premier League Grand Final winners with a quite sensational 8-5 victory over Canberra Olympic at Deakin Stadium. This was the game that had everything, thirteen goals, a missed penalty and a sending off adding up to a match that will go down in the annals of local football history as one of the most epic matches ever seen. And, whilst the defending at times seemed optional, few present will ever forget this one.
It was the game that signalled the end of the career of Canberra FC stalwart John Glass, heading into retirement with a fairytale finish scoring a thumping header and leaving the field to a standing ovation when replaced by Michael Spaleta late on, and also showcased the talents of Robbie Deeley. Olympic’s New Zealand import demonstrated that he can be as pivotal to his team as Adam Spaleta is to Canberra FC, claiming a hat-trick in an effervescent performance that was only blotted by a horrendous penalty miss.
The match, as a contest, appeared to be over even before it had started when Canberra FC raced into a scarcely probable 3-0 lead after only eighteen minutes. Having lost to Olympic in the major semi-final a fortnight ago the home team were in no mood to succumb again and wasted little time in laying down a marker for the game ahead taking the lead as early as the fifth minute. The goal though owed much to ill fortune for Dean Ugrinic and his team with goalkeeper James Bradbury shanking a clearance into Joel Valtonen and watching as it broke to Paul Ivanic who gleefully turned in the first of his Grand Final treble.
Five minutes later and the home support was up and dancing again. Ian Graham, striding through midfield like a colossus, turned Nick Sallecchia inside-out on the right flank and centred for Ivanic to lay off into the path of Stephen Lee who curled a delicious left foot shot past the out-stretched hand of Bradbury and into the corner of the net.
Two became three in the eighteenth minute as Graham fed Ivan Pavlak allowing the rapid left winger space to run at the inexperienced Hristjan Tanoski, Pavlak cut outside and in before firing a low shot that eluded Bradbury at his near post and flashed into the net. Olympic were on their knees and needed a quick response. They got it on 26 minutes when Deeley showed just why he is the king of the set-piece with a wonderful free-kick from twenty-five metres that took a slight deflection off the Canberra FC wall on its way past Ben Klug in the goal.
By now Olympic were in the ascendancy and Jakob Williams went close from a free-kick, forcing Klug to tip the ball over the bar. From the resultant corner Robbie Schroder headed over when well-placed. This spell only furthered Canberra FC’s desire though and they went 4-1 up in the 38th minute. Ivanic used is strength to win the ball and play it back to Pavlak and from the lofted cross Lee, the smallest man on the field, leapt highest to send a header looping over Bradbury for a quite brilliant goal.
Two minutes later it was 5-1. Adam Spaleta sent a half-volleyed cross over the Olympic defence where Schroder missed his clearance allowing Ivanic the easiest of tasks to prod a shot past Bradbury from ten metres. And still the goals kept coming. Canberra FC failed to clear their lines and the ball fell to Deeley who sent a snap shot straight back that beat Klug and crashed into the net off the base of the ‘keeper’s right hand post as Olympic went into the break down 5-2.
Any hope of an unlikely comeback was stifled five minutes after the restart when Canberra FC racked up the half dozen. Ivanic appeared to be fouled but referee Richard Naumovski played a superb advantage and Spaleta raced clear to slot home a well-taken goal. To their credit Olympic refused to give in and reduced the gap to 6-3 in the 58th minute. Substitute Travis Dries pounced on a mistake from Ryan Keir and fed Daniel Barac with the striker initially forcing a smart save from Klug before turning the rebound into the net from an acute angle.
Stung again, Canberra FC swarmed onto the offensive once more and from an inch-perfect Spaleta cross, Glass had his moment rising high to plant a thumping header into the corner of the goal with Bradbury, once again, left stranded. At 7-3 with fifteen minutes to play the players could have been forgiven for taking it easy. No such luck. Olympic were awarded a penalty when Oliver Wiederkehr sent a cross into the area that was handled by Aidan Brunskill only for Deeley to blaze the resultant kick miles over the bar. No matter. Within a dozen minutes he made amends. Exchanging passes with substitutes Elia Salloum and Dries, Deeley then arrowed in a drive into the roof of the net to complete his hat-trick.
The last word it appeared would go to Canberra FC. The league champions broke again with Adam Spaleta racing clear and rounding Bradbury. His first touch was too heavy which allowed the young Olympic custodian to recover only for Spaleta to beat him again and then rifle a close range shot at goal that was handled by Schroder on the line. Naumovski had little option but to dismiss Schroder and Ivanic brought up his treble from the spot to make the score 8-4.
However, Olympic were to have the final say, even in defeat. As stoppage time ticked over Barac rose high to send a header past Klug and bring the curtain down on a sensational evening’s entertainment of which we’re unlikely to ever see it’s like again. Breathtaking stuff and some way to round out the 2011 ROCK Premier League season.
ACT Finals Series
Saturday 17th September 2011
Rock Premier League
Grand Final
Deakin Stadium, kick off 17.30Canberra FC 8 (Paul Ivanic 5’, 40’, 87’ (pen), Stephen Lee 10’, 38’, Ivan Pavlak 19’, Adam Spaleta 51’, John Glass 62’) Canberra Olympic 5 (Robbie Deeley 27’, 43’, 78’, Daniel Barac 59’ 90+3’)
Half-time: 5-2
Canberra FC: 18. Ben Klug (gk), 5. John Glass (9. Michael Spaleta), 6. Ryan Keir (4. Izach Clements), 7. Paul Ivanic, 10. Stephen Lee (13. Daniel Bennett), 11. Ivan Pavlak, 12. Ian Graham, 16. Matt Grbesa, 19. Adam Spaleta, 23. Marcin Zygmunt, 76. Aidan Brunskill
Substitutes not used: 3. Aaron Evans, 1 David Wilden-Constantin (gk)
Canberra Olympic: 1 James Bradbury (gk), 2. Hristjan Tanoski, 3. Joel Valtonen, 6. Jon Stone (19. Milan Popovich), 7. Robbie Deeley, 8. Nicholas Sallecchia, 9. Oliver Wiederkehr (17. Elia Salloum), 10. James Field (5. Travis Dries), 11. Jakob Williams, 12. Daniel Barac, 13 Robbie Schroder
Substitutes not used: 14. Matt Cachia, 20. Angelo Konstantinou (gk)
YELLOW CARDS: 7. Robbie Deeley, 8. Nicholas Sallecchia (both Canberra Olympic)
RED CARD: 13 Robbie Schroder (Canberra Olympic)
Match Officials: Richard Naumovski (referee), Ben Wilson, Brett Woodford
TRADIES Premier League Grand Final
Belconnen United 4 (Caitlin Munoz 43’, 86’, Snez Veljanovska 51’, 79’) Woden Valley 0
Half-time: 1-0
(Hawker Football Stadium, kick off 15.00)
Belconnen United made it a clean sweep of trophies in the Tradies Women’s Premier League with a commanding 4-0 Grand Final defeat of title rivals Woden Valley on a warm Sunday afternoon at Hawker Football Centre. Two goals apiece from Westfield W-League players Caitlin Munoz and Snez Veljanovska did the damage and ensured that Antoni Jagarinec’s team would claim the 2011 treble.
Any thoughts that the familiarity of the players to each other would see a nice friendly clash were dispelled as early as the third minute when Woden Valley striker Ashleigh Palombi picked up the game’s first yellow card as the fiery forward was cautioned for delaying the re-start after an offside decision. Apart from that though Woden’s leading scorer was rather conspicuous by her absence as the first half an hour were played almost exclusively in Woden’s half.
Caitlin Munoz was the driving force for the Blue Devils with the Canberra United player and Matildas international at the forefront of Belconnen’s attacks. Munoz made the first break of the match in the tenth minute when she burst down the left wing and cut the ball back, where it fell kindly for Amy Wilson, whose fierce shot was flying towards goal before Valley centre-back Anissa Tann bravely headed clear.
Munoz then had a glorious chance to give Belconnen the lead when she got free in front of goal to meet an Amy Spence free-kick with a back-header. Munoz got too much on the flick though and it went harmlessly over Gill Raymond’s crossbar, much to the relief of the Woden goalkeeper. Shortly afterwards Munoz tried again from distance but Stephanie Coates put her body on the line to charge down the shot.
With temperatures soaring there was little in the way of goal mouth action at either end after that with the heat taking its toll on both squads. Also taking its toll was a heavy challenge on Woden’s Elle Hollis, a tackle that saw Snez Veljanovska join Palombi in the referee’s notebook, which forced the defender from the field to be replaced by Ellie Raymond just before the thirty minute mark as the tackles flew in and the game became rather bogged down in the middle of the park.
The game needed a spark and it was little surprise that it was provided by Munoz two minutes before half-time. Belconnen won a corner on the left hand side and Michelle Thompson delivered a cross of stunning quality. Arriving to meet it at the far post was the livewire Munoz who directed her header back across goal and past Raymond into the net to give the Blue Devils the lead and, whilst it was Munoz who provided the execution, the supply from Thompson was dazzling.
Woden though are made of stern stuff these days and, from a sporadic raid into Belconnen territory, almost equalised before half-time. The prodigiously gifted Jaline Hoek got away from the Blue Devils defence and lifted a shot over Jocelyn Mara in the Belconnen goal only to watch on in agony as it bounced back off the post to safety, the upright preserving the Blue Devils slender lead at the interval.
The next goal was likely to prove critical and it went to Belconnen less than ten minutes after the re-start. An Amy Wilson free-kick was lofted into the Woden penalty area and was met by he slightest of touches from Snez Veljanovska who glanced a header past Raymond. Again Woden showed their resolve and almost got back into the match. Hoek was once more at the pinnacle of the attacking move and her clash with Mara saw the ball roll free to Meg McLaughlin. The youngster, who had only been on the field a matter of minutes after replacing Emma Thornton, fired her shot towards the empty net from a very acute angle, but narrowly sent the ball over the bar.
Woden hopes of getting back into the match were given a boost midway through the half when the Blue Devils were reduced to ten players following the dismissal of defender Bronwyn Studman for a second yellow card offence. And they certainly upped the tempo with the player advantage sending over a wave of crosses into the penalty area that the attacking players just failed to get on the end of. Christine Walters was the chief threat with her dribbling skills getting her into a couple of dangerous positions.
Belconnen weren’t to be denied though and put the seal on the match with a third strike. Receiving a pass thirty metres from goal, Veljanovska ran on and cut onto her right foot before unleashing a low drive that beat Raymond for pace from the edge of the penalty area. The icing on the cake soon followed when Munoz ran past two lethargic looking Woden Valley tacklers and lashed a left foot shot in at the near post to make it 4-0.
There was still time for Hoek to go close again, this time from just outside the six-yard box, as she diverted a McLaughlin cross shot at the Blue Devils goal but her luck was out again as the ball, once more, came back off the post just about summing up the afternoon for Ed Hollis’ luckless side.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH
Julie Murray Medal: Caitlin Munoz (Belconnen United): Two goals and a domineering display from Munoz earned her the Julie Murray Medal. Her pace and aggressiveness lifted the match in the first half and her first goal, headed in from a Michelle Thompson corner, was the game-breaker. A wonderful second, where the characteristic trademarks of her pace and tenacity shone through coupled with a thumping left-foot finish, sealed a fine all-round display from the Canberra United and Matildas star.
STATISTICS
Belconnen United: 1. Jocelyn Mara (gk), 3. Lauren Keir (4. Clare Munro), 5. Amy Spence, 6. Caitlin Munoz, 7. Snez Veljanovska, 8. Michaela Day, 9. Katie Woodman (11. Alison Lound), 12. Michelle Thompson (2. Natasha Ackland), 13. Bronwyn Studman, 15. Peta-Clare Fothergill, 16. Amy Wilson
Substitutes not used: 14. Jess McEwan, 17. Maja Blasch
Woden Valley: 1. Gill Raymond (gk), 2. Christine Walters, 4. Stephanie Coates, 6. Elle Hollis (17. Ellie Raymond), 7. Jaline Hoek, 10. Ashleigh Palombi, 11. Sophie Kochinos (5. Kelsey Perry), 12. Erin Frewin, 13. Emma Thornton (8. Meg McLaughlin), 15. Catherine Brown, 16. Annisa Tann
Substitutes not used: 9. Julia De Angelis, GK. Kate Grarock
Discipline: YELLOW CARDS: 7. Snez Veljanovska 13. Bronwyn Studman (both Belconnen United), 10. Ashleigh Palombi 15. Catherine Brown (both Woden Valley)
RED CARD: 13. Bronwyn Studman (Belconnen United)
Match Officials: Alasdair Grocock (referee), Pat Caggiano, Gordon McDonald, Mark Valerius (4th Official)